If you are facing home loan stress after the past year’s series of rate rises, Canstar’s finance expert @effiezahos has some strategies that may help ease the burden. #rba #cashrate #ausbiz

Couples targeting a comfortable retirement at 67 should aim for ~$690K in savings, singles ~$595K. But how can you get there? A strategic retirement plan could help. @activesuper_au financial planner Matthew Hoang shares his tips:

No-fee rewards credit cards tend to be rare, and in fact, there are just 3 on Canstar's comparison database at the moment. They do come with a catch. Hint: check the interest rate.

It's the big question. Experts @LPilkington, @tinateng_cmc and @MonashBusiness's Dr Mark Crosby are divided on the precise timing, but generally agree the RBA will cut the cash rate in 2024.

Savings rates compared on Canstar are now as high as 5.65%. It's a good idea to check what your savings are earning, and if your bank hasn't kept up with the competition, it could be time to switch.

Most home loans in Australia have a monthly repayment scheduled by default. But you can potentially save money if you can increase the frequency of your repayments to fortnightly or even weekly. @michaellund reports:

A number of common mistakes car owners make could void their car insurance, including using the wrong fuel and forgetting to lock the car. Here are 11 reasons a car insurer might cancel your cover.

Homeowners thinking about renting out the house to bring in extra cash will need to check their mortgage first, because if it's an owner-occupier loan they'll probably need to refinance. But renting out a room while you still live there just might work.

Do you know when you can start to access the money in your super? There are some conditions you need to meet before you can use the super savings you've invested for your retirement. #superannuation #retirement.

Last May when the cash rate was at a historic low of 0.1%, there were 5,199 owner occupier and investment interest rates on our database below 5.50%. Now there are just 18. How times have changed. @michaellund reports:

Plenty of suburbs and towns around Australia still have an affordable edge to make it possible to buy a property with less than $60,000 upfront, as revealed in Canstar's Bright Stars report powered by Hotspotting.

The RBA held the cash rate at 4.10% today, but with almost half of fixed rate mortgages set to come to an end this year, Aussie borrowers could still face thousands more in home loan repayments each month.

Rising interest rates have been good news for savers - someone with $50K stashed away could potentially earn $2K more than they could in April 2022. @effiezahos shares her tips to help you get the best return on your savings.

Today's 25 basis point hike, the latest of many, comes as financial stress rises to levels not seen since the crisis of 2008. #RBA #cashrate. @AJDuncanWriter reports:.

Mortgage prisoners could be free to refinance to a lower home loan interest rate now that a handful of lenders, including the Westpac group, have reduced serviceability buffers. But it's important to weigh up the cost of switching loans - it's about $800.

Mortgage fees really add to the cost of buying a home. Expect to pay an extra $4,100 over the life of a home loan with a $500 setup fee and $10 monthly fee vs. a loan at the same interest rate but no such fees. That’s regardless of the amount borrowed!

Someone on a single income of $75,000 could afford to borrow $229,700 without going into mortgage stress. Assuming a 20% deposit, that would mean they could potentially buy a home worth about $287,125. Read the full analysis:

A 'bare-bones budget' could be the key to help stretched households escape the cycle of living from pay to pay. Netflix wouldn't make the cut, but mortgage/rent and even saving for a rainy day would. @effiezahos shares her tips:

Aussies would have needed a $6,442 annual salary rise to keep pace with inflation, according to Canstar analysis. And following this week's #rba cash rate rise borrowers' salaries will be strained further. @AJDuncanWriter has more:

Now that Melbourne has officially beat Sydney for the title of Australia's biggest city, could renting in Melbourne still be affordable? Canstar explores the cheapest suburbs to rent in Melbourne.